


Round About the Cauldron Go

by Winter_of_our_Discontent



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling, Sherlock (TV)
Genre: 221B Ficlet, Gen, Hogwarts Professors, M/M, Post - Deathly Hallows, Potterlock
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-01-26
Updated: 2014-09-21
Packaged: 2018-01-10 02:03:38
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 1,093
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1153457
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Winter_of_our_Discontent/pseuds/Winter_of_our_Discontent
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>John Watson's just accepted a position as the new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher at his alma mater. It should be an interesting first year, especially now that he's met the new Potions Master, Sherlock Holmes.</p>
<p>A chronicle of their developing relationship, told in 221Bs.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. First Meeting

The first time John Watson met the new potions master, he only narrowly avoided hexing him.

Obviously, that hadn’t been his plan when he’d first made his way down to the potions classroom, but when he’d gotten there and found the place seemingly deserted, he hadn’t been able to resist walking around to see how it had changed since his day.

And then he’d heard a noise behind him and, well, some reflexes still hadn’t left him, because he’d spun around and was pointing a wand at the tall, pale man now in front of him, the first syllable of a curse on John’s tongue.

“Do you always greet colleagues like that, Professor?” the man drawled, his hands up and in front of him, “I assure you I’m unarmed.”

The adrenaline faded and John felt his ears turning pink.  “Sorry, sorry, old habits die hard, so sorry...”  He shoved his wand back into his robes and bent down slowly to grab his cane, dropped earlier in his alarm.  He limped the remaining distance between himself and the other man, then extended a hand.  “Pleased to meet you, I’m the new...”

“The new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, yes, I gathered. Sherlock Holmes, Potions Master.”  His hands were cool and dry, his handshake firm.

“John Watson.”

“Your shoulder. Cruciatus or Blasting?”


	2. Could Be Dangerous

Holmes waited until the last of the students had filed out of the classroom before approaching John’s desk. “You’re an... adequate teacher.”

****

“Thank you?” John said, not entirely certain if he was being complimented or insulted. The fact that Holmes seemed tentative tipped it towards compliment, as he’d never seen the man shy about insults.

****

“You explain concepts clearly, and your students seem fond of you.” Yes, it did appear to have been a compliment.

****

“Erm, well...  What brings you to my classroom?” John had rarely seen Holmes outside the potions dungeon or the Great Hall.

****

“I’m... working on a project, and I could use another set of hands.” Holmes sounded oddly diffident, and didn’t meet John’s eyes. “If it’s not inconvenient.”

****

“Not at all,” John said, “Let me just put away these scrolls.” Whatever the other professor was up to was bound to be a great deal more interesting than marking essays on vampires. Where some of the student body had picked up the strange notion that they sparkled was a continuing mystery to him.

****

“Could be dangerous,” Sherlock added, hovering behind the desk.

****

“Are you trying to discourage or encourage me?” John said, grinning, and was rewarded by a small matching grin on Holmes’ face.

“I’m testing a new theory on dragon’s blood…”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to everyone who's been reading! 
> 
> Should you be of a tumblr following persuasion, I can be found at bamfinacuddlyjumper.tumblr.com


	3. New Discoveries

It turned out the dragon’s blood experiment actually _was_ a bit dangerous, and Holmes had been so distracted by the marbled violet swirls of one of the solutions that it was John who noticed another was very close to boiling over.  

 

John immediately tackled Holmes, wrapping his arms around the taller man’s torso and pulling them both behind a desk only seconds before the cauldron exploded. 

 

“Sorry, Holmes, I...” John said, awkwardly untangling their bodies and standing, too stunned to notice he’d once again abandoned his cane.

 

“Sherlock.” 

 

“What?”

 

Holmes accepted the hand John offered, pulling himself upright. “We’ve just narrowly avoided being killed, I think we’re permitted to be on a first name basis.”

 

“It might not have been lethal... _Sherlock_.” John said, tasting the name on his tongue. He found he rather liked saying it.

 

Sherlock glared at him, though it lacked any real venom. “Which of us is the potions expert here, _John_?” 

 

It might have looked more intimidating if he hadn’t been more disheveled than John had ever seen him, robes askew and hair dusted with bits of... Merlin knew what, and John burst into a fit of giggles. Sherlock stared at him for a moment, then began laughing as well. 

 

“And to think I’d been worried teaching might be _boring_.”

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks to Vulgarweed for the beta.


	4. Chapter 4

“He really is brilliant,” John said to the Headmistress one day, after they’d caught the tail end of Professor Holmes taking ten points from Hufflepuff, for ‘excessively noisy jollity in the hallways.’ What John meant, of course, was ‘please don’t fire him for his lack of people skills, he’s really not a bad sort, and I’d kind of hate to see him go.’

“Oh, he certainly is. Why only last month, he discovered a thirteenth use for dragon’s blood.” 

“That is… impressive indeed,” John said, trying to keep his expression neutral. He’d been washing bits of the potions classroom out of his hair and robes for days afterwards.

Headmistress McGonagall continued, “Fortunately, we’re quite used to aloof, unfriendly Potions masters here. At least he doesn’t seem to show any favouritism towards his house.”

“No, you couldn’t accuse him of that,” John agreed, then added to himself ‘mostly because he seems to dislike everyone equally.’

“After all, except for you, he seems to dislike everyone equally.”

John stared at her, surprised.

Headmistress McGonagall raised an eyebrow at him. “No, Professor Watson, I’ve never studied Occlumency.”  Taking pity on him, she changed the subject, “I’ve come to ask you a favour.”

“Yes, of course, what did you need?”

“Would you be willing to serve as one of the chaperones for the Yule Ball?”


	5. Chapter 5

“So what brought you to Hogwarts in the first place?” John asked, carefully stacking scrolls into a sort of scroll ziggurat in order to clear off a bit of desk space. He carefully set down one of the two mugs of the butterbeer and the plate of pumpkin cakes he’d swiped from the kitchens. Sherlock tended to forget to eat when he was holed up in his dungeons, but he had a sweet tooth John could usually use against him.

Sherlock swooped in to snatch one of the cakes as John hid a smile. “Fully stocked facilities, a high degree of autonomy, long holidays for research... it was an opportunity with few drawbacks.”

“Ah,” John said. “I’d never really taught before, but I’m looking forward to training up the next generation. It’s an amazing chance.”

Sherlock grimaced slightly. “I’d rather considered the students to be one of the drawbacks.”

John quickly stifled a laugh under his own mug, narrowly avoiding spilling it on his robes. “How’s that working out for you so far, then?”

“Wipe off that foam mustache immediately; it looks ridiculous on you.”

“Ta,” John said, wiping it on the sleeve of his robe. “Posh bugger,” he added affectionately.

“To answer your question,” Sherlock said, flashing John a rare warm smile, “I’m finding Hogwarts has some very unexpected benefits.”

**Author's Note:**

> Because I can't resist a Hogwarts AU, and the professors don't get enough love. I'm excited to be trying my hand at the 221B format. The title is, of course, taken from Shakespeare's greatest play, Macbeth.
> 
> For those of you following my other stories, don't worry, none of them have been forgotten. 
> 
> Many thanks to my above and beyond beta, Reluctant Abandon, and my writing BFF Vulgarweed.


End file.
